Fix Maya Model but Keep Textures

Discussion in 'Materials' started by 71474_deleted, Jul 25, 2013.

  1. 71474_deleted
    71474_deleted Member
    I've been trying for about two weeks now uploading different versions of a model for a client. When I export from maya or meshlab and upload straight to shapeways I can get textures to work but my model isn't working right and cannot be printed. I need to send it through a program like netfabb or magics to correct the mesh and then it uploads fine but I lose my textures. It seems like I can't have it both ways. Has anyone had experience getting maya models with textures up onto shapeways with any success?

    I've followed this tutorial that uses milkshape and magics but my version of magics doesn't support 3ds models or anything else on the list and it looks like it can't export too much either.
    https://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/fixing_maya_full_color_v rml_with_magics
    Other tutorials skip the fix mesh step entirely.

    I've also tried fixing my mesh in netfabb, re importing it into maya, retexturing it and exporting an x3d or vrml model from there and that still doesn't work. It feels like I've reached a dead end here. After using shapeways for so long I'm kind of disappointed this is still so difficult.
     
  2. mkroeker
    mkroeker Well-Known Member
    "Does not work" does not tell us much - are you uploading the fixed mesh in one of the formats that allow texturing
    (i.e., zip file with dae/wrl/x3d geometry and png/jpg texture file) as opposed to, say, stl, which cannot handle texture ?
    Is the texture applied incorrectly, or lost completely ?
     
  3. AmLachDesigns
    AmLachDesigns Well-Known Member
    I don't know Maya (the list of things I don't know is almost limitless...) but can you not export the mesh to another program, fix it, re-import the fixed mesh to Maya and then apply the textures, export the texture + file, zip and upload to SW.

    This may be a dumb idea in which case, please disregard.

    Good luck.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2013
  4. 71474_deleted
    71474_deleted Member
    I'm uploading the fixed mesh in a zip file with texture files and whatever other files are included with the exported file. So far I've tried OBJ, WRL, STL, X3D and a couple other odd balls. The textures show up perfect in maya and meshlab but when I export it to a program to fix the mesh they all get removed.

    I actually have tried exporting from maya, fixing the mesh in netfabb and retexturing in maya, then exporting a wrl and including textures in a zip file and it still doesn't work. I think my end export has to be out of the program that fixed it but they can't hold textures.

    Thanks for the help,
    Tim
     
  5. mkroeker
    mkroeker Well-Known Member
    When you open such a WRL or X3D file in a text editor (not sure if that would work with DAE as well), do you see a reference
    to your texture (ImageTexture { url '"yourtexture.png"' } or something to that effect) ?
     
  6. AmLachDesigns
    AmLachDesigns Well-Known Member
    I see you have other Full Colour Sandstone models in your shop, so I assume you have got this to work out of Maya before?

    That being the case, can you fix the model in Maya (i.e. not with an external program) and then do what you have done before? Maybe the extra effort (???) might be worth it in the long run?
     
  7. 71474_deleted
    71474_deleted Member
    Thanks again for the help guys. My other models exported from maya successfully without any problems. It's not the case with this model, I need to fix it in another program. I'll try doing some corrections in maya later tonight but I'm not very hopeful.

    The text files of some of the models work while others don't. I'll post specifics when I get home later.
     
  8. 71474_deleted
    71474_deleted Member
    So I tried taking my fixed NetFabb model and retexturing that in Maya, then bringing that into MeshLab and exporting an .X3D or .WRL file. I open these files and usually not all of the textures are in it which is confusing. Sometimes all of the textures files show up in notepad but when I upload to shapeways I either get a plain white model or it fails on upload. If I upload my model or the x3d/ wrl with texture files could someone take a look? This is getting to be a major problem for me.

    Thanks,
    Tim
     
  9. mkroeker
    mkroeker Well-Known Member
    Make sure that the texture file names in the x3d do not contain any folder names or drive letters, and that you use
    only the supported formats for the textures - gif, png or jpeg, but no tiff. Indeed showing an example of what you are
    trying to upload would help others find out what the problem is.
     
  10. 71474_deleted
    71474_deleted Member
    So I'm attaching a zip folder called coopTexturedSupport. This has all of the texture files I'm using, a wrl I exported, an x3d file I also exported. The only texture showing up in wrl is silver. All the textures are showing up in the .x3d file besides white, (I'm not sure why). I also included an OBJ file with an .mtl file and textures which I know works and opens. I'm also attaching a screenshot of the export dialogue for x3d files from meshlab. I've been trying a different combination of things but most recently just un-checking everything in the verts column, otherwise the mesh doesn't export at all.

    If anyone could help that'd be amazing, I can supply any other support files as needed.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jul 30, 2013
  11. mkroeker
    mkroeker Well-Known Member
    I just chicked :p your coop - the wrl has only the silver texture (and silvery-grey vertex colors at the same time, which does not really
    make sense).
    The x3d has all textures, and again supplies (mostly black) ColorRGBA lists for vertex coloring along with them, which confuse
    both the view3dscene viewer and apparently shapeways as well. You will need an experienced Mayan to tell you
    how that happened, but for now you can just use a text editor to kick out each and every line that starts with
    "<ColorRGBA color=" (one in each IndexedFaceSet block).
     
  12. mkroeker
    mkroeker Well-Known Member
    Upload completed and looks good color-wise. On second thought, the rendering software is perfectly correct to blend the
    texture with the (unwanted, black) vertex colors when both are given. Check if the export menu of your software allows you
    to select texture and vertex or face colors (possibly called material colors) independently.

    However there still seems to be something amiss with the geometry - both the ladder and the fixture holding the solar panel
    are missing in the shapeways preview. netfabb warns me that your model has some 200 holes in it and does not form a closed
    surface. Closing the "trivial holes" in netfabb drops the shell count from 238 to 65, but I do not get any further with your model.